At a glance

Spend two weeks walking and exploring the delights of this diverse and inspiring island

Quiet trails lead up verdant mountainsides, passing through dense forests. The distinctive call of monkeys and the roaring of waterfalls punctuate the stillness between the remote villages in the hill country, not another walking boot or rucksack in sight.
Acclimatisation begins in Sigiriya with a visit to Lion Rock, quintessential to any Sri Lanka adventure. From here the trekking begins in earnest, through the untouched World Heritage conservation area of the Knuckles Mountain Range, past rice paddies and brushing the vibrant, emerald-green tea plantations of Dickoya. After this, the drama of the 1000m drop at World’s End will leave you awe-struck, and the summit of sacred Adam’s Peak (2243m) offers a challenge.

Walk profile

Daily distance in km/miles:

Day 2

6.0km/3.7miles

Day 3

15.0km/9.3miles

Day 4

14.0km/8.7miles

Day 6

6.0km/3.7miles

Day 7

14.0km/8.7miles

Day 9

7.0km/4.3miles

Day 10

12.0km/7.5miles

Day 12

5.0km/3.1miles

Number of days walking: 8

Pace: Moderate: 5-6km/3-4miles an hour

Terrain: Low altitude; good paths

Itinerary

Show detailed itinerary

1Day 1Start Dambulla.

The group flight arrives at Colombo's Katunake Airport and we transfer to our hotel at Dambulla (160km, 4hrs drive). Those not flying with the group can meet us at the hotel or the airport in time for the transfer to Dambulla.See more images and videos

After breakfast we visit the magnificent Cave Temple at Dambulla, for some, the most impressive sight in Sri Lanka. There are colourful and very well preserved paintings and statues of Buddha inside the caves, which date back to the 1st century BC. We then have a short warm up walk which takes us gently through villages and rice paddies, where we can see life unchanged for centuries. The walking is flat although it can be hot and humid. We head towards Sigiriya, where we have lunch. In the afternoon we visit the imposing 5th century rock fortress of Sigiriya which rises 600 feet from the plains overlooking the surrounding countryside giving far-reaching views. Used as a safe haven from invaders, the route to the top is up a series of steep steps and gangways. From the base, where a moat surrounds impressive water gardens, we ascend 200m, passing an overhanging rock under which superb portraits of native maidens holding flowers and temple offerings still adorn the rock wall. Crowning the flat-topped summit of the rock are extensive remains of the King's Summer Palace from where there are breath-taking views of the surrounding countryside. The descent is much easier and we have a final 35 minute drive back to our hotel in Dambulla. Approximate walking distance 6km.

3Day 3Drive to Illukkumbura; walk the Manigala Trail in the Knuckles Range.

The next two days takes us across the famous Knuckles Mountain Range. Named after the shape of the peaks, there are more than 35 mountains in the range. We start early today as it's a long day and we have a three hour drive to the start of our walk. The road winds its way slowly into the foothills to the start of the Manigala Trail. The walk starts with an easy descent past rice paddies through the villages of Pitawala Patana and Etanwala. Descending all the way to the river we cross a small bridge and start to climb up through more farmland. We finally emerge at the top of an escarpment where we get great views of the surrounding countryside. It's a hot walk and can be very humid and we will be glad of the small breeze at the top. An easy trail takes us along the top of the escarpment to Manigala Top at 1115m, the high point of today. We then descend all the way to the Illikumbura Forest Office. Some of the descent is a little steep. From the Forest Office it's a 20 minute walk to our campsite by the river where we can bathe in the cool refreshing river water. Today is the longest walk and is approx 15km, 7 hours walking. (Please note; occasionally due to high water levels we use an alternative campsite. The alternative campsite is about 40 minutes drive from Illikumbura).See more images and videos

4Day 4Walk through forests to Meemure, transfer to Orutota.

A short half hour drive to the Narangamuwa Temple at Ranamuregama. We pass rice paddies and coconut groves and enter a heavily forested area. The trail climbs gently for an hour and then levels out and undulates though this wonderful forest. The only sounds we can hear is the birdsong all around us. We emerge from the forest at Meemure village and looking back we get great views of the pointed peak of Lakegala. Passing farms growing pepper and other spices we come to a small tea shop where we have tea and a packed lunch. Approx 5 hours walking, 14km. After lunch we take a truck or trishaws for a bumpy 90 minute ride to Corbetts Gap, a famous viewpoint. Our bus will meet us here for the 90 minute drive to our hotel at Orutota overlooking the Victoria Reservoir.See more images and videos

5Day 5To Kandy; visit the Temple of the Tooth.

A relaxing morning after the exertions of the last few days with time to enjoy the garden and pool at the hotel. Mid morning we have a short 18km drive to Kandy and we have the afternoon to explore the town. Kandy is located on a small lake and we can walk round the lake famous for several varieties of water birds and large Water Monitors. We visit the Temple of the Tooth, which houses Sri Lanka's most important Buddhist relic. The Tooth of Buddha was taken from the funeral pyre in 543 BC and only found its way to Sri Lanka in the 4th century AD. There are literally hundreds of worshippers who visit the temple each day and in July/August the most spectacular ceremony takes place. In the evening we may have the chance to attend a performance of the athletic Kandian Dancing and fire eating.See more images and videos

6Day 6Transfer to Dickoya; optional walk around the lake and tea plantations.

This morning we drive to Dickoya (3 hours), where we stay for two nights in simple colonial tea planters bungalows. Surrounded by tea plantations the bungalows have a wonderful view of the Castlereagh Reservoir and on a clear day we can see the outline of Adams Peak in the distance.
In the pilgrim season (December-May) we have the day to relax or have a short walk around the lake (approx. 6km) and we leave around midnight for the walk up Adams Peak (approx. 14km). This will take around 4 hours and we should reach the top with the many pilgrims at sunrise. In the off season (May - November) we spend today at Dickoya and can walk around the lake, tomorrow we will climb Adams Peak during daylight hours.See more images and videos

This morning we have a wonderful drive through tea plantation districts to Nuwariya Eliya. This was the favourite hill station during the British era and situated in the cool highland air at 1890m has a very British feel to it. Known locally as 'Little England' it is dotted with British style houses, hotels and a racecourse. There will be an optional walk into the hills around the town and also time to explore the bazaar.See more images and videos

9Day 9Early morning to Horton Plains; walk to World's End viewpoint; to Ella by train.

We drive to Horton Plains, a large plateau over 2,000m high, overlooked by the second and third highest peaks in Sri Lanka. The scenery is beautiful and the best way to explore is on foot. We trek through the rolling grasslands, seeing forest, unusual wildlife, such as the sambar deer and purple faced monkey to 'World's End', one of the most stunning sights in Sri Lanka where the ground drops 1050m to the plains (approx. 7km). We then catch the train from the highest railway station in the country; within two hours we drop from 6200 feet to 3600 feet. The train travels through the cloud forest into the tea plantations, the views are breathtaking; we get off at Ella.See more images and videos

We drive to Karandegolla, stopping en route to visit the spectacular Ravana Waterfalls. We start walking at Pitawala and trek through paddy fields and vegetable farms to the beautiful village of Liyangahawela. We then walk on to Kithalhalla and climb up to a rocky area where we get stunning views of the waterfalls. We continue on to Ella Gap, where we have spectacular views of the coastal plain nearly 1,000m below. Almost the whole of the southern part of the island is in view and on a particularly clear day the shimmering silver of the ocean is visible (approx. 12km walk). We return in the late afternoon to our hotel in Ella.See more images and videos

11Day 11Drive to Yala National Park; afternoon game drive.

We now head south out of the hills to Kataragama down on the plains; this is our base for visiting Yala National Park. Yala is Sri Lanka's best known National Park and is popular for elephant, leopard, bear, crocodile and wild boar. Its open undulating terrain made it famous for elephants for many years, but recently the park has become well known for leopard. The park, which is primarily shrub jungle with several salt and fresh water lagoons, has one of the highest concentrations of leopard per square kilometre in the world. We will have a game drive in the afternoon. (Please note that the sanctuary may be closed for 4-6 weeks from September to October allowing the park authorities to check the animals. We therefore go to an alternative area close by, usually the Udawalawe National Park).

12Day 12Visit Kataragama Temple and walk around Tissamaharama lake; transfer to the coast.

A early morning start for the short drive to Kataragama Temple. This temple is a pilgrimage place for both Hindu and Buddhists, who come to worship here in the early mornings and evenings. The colourful and noisy temple is always busy. From the temple we drive to Tissamaharama lake where we walk for approximately 3.5 hours (approx. 5km), this is an opportunity to see the day to day life of the local people as well as some good birdlife. In the late afternoon we drive to the coast.See more images and videos

13Day 13Free day to relax on the beach or optional activities including whale watching (Nov to April).

Free day to relax on the beach or by the pool. There are also numerous optional activities that you can take part in during the day including a boat ride through mangrove swamps to a cinnamon plantation or from November to April you can go whale watching off Dondra head near Mirrissa, which is one of the best places in the world for seeing Blue and Sperm whales. Huge pods of dolphins are also often seen playing alongside the boats.See more images and videos

14Day 14To Galle; transfer to Colombo.

We set off early today and drive along the coastal road to the historic port of Galle. Dating back to the 17th century, and now a UNESCO world heritage site, we visit the Galle Fort. We then follow the coast for the drive back to Colombo visiting a turtle hatchery on the way. We reach Colombo in the late afternoon and check into our hotel.See more images and videos

15Day 15End Colombo.

If you are travelling on the group flight we will have a morning transfer to the airport for the daytime flight to London. The arrangements for those not flying with the group ends after breakfast.See more images and videos

Your images

Adult Group

This is a small group adult holiday. The group is usually between 4 and 16 in size, with an average of 12 like-minded clients booking individually, in a couple or as friends together.

Activity level

You are moderately fit and possess a spirit of adventure. Some previous experience is required for most activity based trips.

What's included

What's included

All breakfasts, 5 lunches and 1 dinner

All accommodation (see below)

All transport and listed activities

Tour leader throughout

Flights from London (if booking incl. flights)

What's not included

Travel insurance

Single accommodation (available on request)

Visas or vaccinations

Accommodation details

Hotels & Camping

You will stay 13 nights in hotels all of which have en suite facilities; all hotels have twin bedded rooms with attached bathrooms. There will also be 1 night of full service camping. The tents have two camp beds with bedding. There is a toilet tent with sit down toilet and a shower tent. A cook team will prepare meals which are usually served outside.

Single supplements are available from £280 (not available for 3 nights)

Essential info

Vaccinations and Visa
A visa (Electronic Travel Authorisation) is required if you are British and for most other nationalities. If you do not hold a British passport, please check the visa requirements with your local Sri Lankan Embassy or the ETA website www.eta.gov.lk. Passengers should also be aware of local laws and customs in Sri Lanka (https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/sri-lanka/local-laws-and-customs). The mistreatment of Buddhist images and artefacts is an offence; please note that people have been refused entry to Sri Lanka because of visible tattoos of Buddha.
There are no mandatory vaccination requirements. Recommended vaccinations are: Tetanus, Typhoid, Hepatitis A. The risk of malaria is slight but you may wish to consult your GP or travel health clinic for further advice. Dengue fever is a known risk in places visited. It is a tropical viral disease spread by daytime biting mosquitoes. There is currently no vaccine or prophylaxis available for Dengue, and therefore the best form of prevention is to avoid being bitten. We recommend you take the usual precautions to avoid mosquito bites. Holiday style

This is a moderate trip graded B with some day walks and some half day walks. There will be a back up vehicle making all the walking optional. Some days there will be options of easier and more challenging walks. Most of the walks are between 4 and 6 hours, with one longer 7 hour walk. The trails are fairly well made and used by locals. If it rains some of the trails can get slippery and there can be leeches. It can be hot and humid on the lower walks. The drives to the start of the walks and from the end of the walks to the hotels are sometimes on narrow winding roads. Most of the accommodation is comfortable with two nights spent in simple hotels and one night spent in a fixed camp. All the hotels have twin bedded rooms with attached bathrooms and the tented camp has tents with camp beds, bedding and towels, a toilet and shower tent.

Eating & drinking

All breakfasts, 5 lunches and 1 dinner is included. We suggest allowing about GBP10-15 (approx. . USD16-24) per day for all other meals and drinks.

Trip notes

Download the detailed trip notes for everything you could possibly want to know about this trip, including
detailed itinerary and full kit list

Weather & seasonality

Sri Lanka has a tropical climate with two distinct wet seasons or monsoons. The SW monsoon brings rain to that area of the island between May and August. The NE monsoon takes place from October to January and only really affects the north and east coastal regions.

Generally, you should expect rain at some time but with plenty of sunshine. On the plains, day and night time temperatures are very hot and humid with Colombo having an average daytime temperature of 30degC. It can be humid whilst walking. The temperatures drop as we go higher into the hills where daytime temperatures are between 15 and 25degC and night time temperatures will be cooler (about 10degC minimum) and a warmish fleece will be needed.

Gallery

Reviews & community

We have just returned from the late January / early February slot and had an excellent time. The tour ran as per the itinerary with no disruption as a consequence of the heavy rain back in December, and offered a good balance between walking and culture / sightseeing. The Group all got on well together and we enjoyed plenty of laughs. We were looked after incredibly well by the whole 'crew' throughout our stay.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

The trip had many highlights but we particularly enjoyed the walking in the Knuckles Mountains which are well off the tourist trail. The walk at Horton Plains is also very enjoyable, albeit quite busy. On the cultural side the caves at Dambulla are exceptional as are the very early wall paintings at Sigirya. For those interested in wildlife, the range of birds seen on the various walks was unexpected.

What did you think of your group leader?

Rewan was an excellent guide - very knowledgeable, always helpful, well organised, sociable and everything was done with a smile. His talks on the bus journeys on a variety of subjects including the history of Sri Lanka were fascinating. In addition to Rewan, mention should also be made of our bus driver who was very accomplished and showed great skill in manoeuvring the bus around some tight roads.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

The kit list suggests walking in trekking sandals and has walking boots listed as optional. In my view walking boots are essential given the terrain of some of the walks in the Hill Country and to offer protection against the leeches that exist on the damp forest paths. I would also recommend taking a lightweight pair of waterproof overtrousers as when it rains it can be very heavy and the mountain weather is unpredictable.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

This is a very good trip which we felt allowed us to glimpse the 'real' Sri Lanka. Given the range of activities, the distances travelled and the logistics involved in pulling a tour like this together, we felt it offered good value for money. The hotels used are not smart highly 'westernised' places, but all quite comfortable albeit with a few rough edges. We shall certainly return to Sri Lanka in the future.

My first hiking tour, my favorite walks were the jungle walks and those through the rice patty fields in the small villages. Amazingly beautiful and very old Buddhist art work in the Dambulla Caves. The Sri Lankan people are friendly and welcoming, the country has an old world feeling, very green, very laid back, the land of elephants and coconuts.

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

Making it to the top of Adam's Peak. I never thought I would actually make it.

What did you think of your group leader?

Sampath Kulatunga was an excellent guide. Very patient, friendly, very knowledgeable about his country and birds. He definitely loves his job. My first singing tour leader. I struggled during the first few days of the tour with painful knees and adjusting to the hot climate, he was very supportive and patient. I was very very greatful for his assistance.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

Definitely bring walking sticks and a sports cream for the sore calves, I wished I did.

I don't want to sound like the traveller just complaining because the weather wasn't very kind, but this trip was very badly effected by torrential rain, landslides, cancelled walks, waterlogged hotel gardens (the route from room to restaurant), all-night amplified religious chanting 50m from hotel room, a riverside campsite virtually under water, a cancelled train ride (line swept away by rain), a cancelled town tour (due to a political rally), power cuts, illness within the group, etc. etc. Add to this that some accommodation was terrible and the bus was far too small for a walking group of this size (all with back-packs, poles, etc) and you'll see that this tour was not a complete success - but it was an experience though!

What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?

I think it was about day ten when it finally stopped raining and the group actually cheered the sight of a small glimpse of blue sky! It didn't last long though.

What did you think of your group leader?

Rowan is an excellent tour leader and I firmly believe that he personally learnt a lot from this tour - even by Sri Lankan standards, these conditions were extreme and nothing like anything Rowan had needed to deal with before. That said, he coped extremely well on the whole and even found us a few alternative activities when items in the itinerary needed to be cancelled. He was always helpful and informative, polite and efficient.

Do you have any advice for potential travellers?

Don't let our experiences put you off going to this very beautiful island, but be aware that it does have a tropical climate and personally I would leave it for a while - the last few months of 2014 saw a lot of rain damage to the islands infrastructure which will take them a long time to recover from - many roads are now in a terrible state caused by numerous landslips and the Ella railway line will probably not be repaired for a long-time. Yala NP has also been very badly effected, now resembling a building site in places where roads have been washed away and with very few animals to see (just birds really) as they have mainly migrated north apparently.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

Don't expect luxury - despite the cost of this trip, the transport and accommodation standards are rather poor to say the least. Also, the speed of service in Sri Lanka could be said to be slow! When serving our group of 17 one hotel took an hour &amp; a half from serving the first meal to the last - best to just stick with rice &amp; curry really!

Exodus Response

We are sorry that Phil’s time in Sri Lanka was impacted upon by the poor weather and that aspects of the itinerary were affected; regrettably the weather conditions his group experienced were exceptionally bad for that time of the year. A tour leader who has completed this trip since Phil’s departure has assured us that the routes have undergone repair work and services have returned to normal. We are confident that future Exodus clients will not be as disappointed.
Simon Clifford - Trip Manager for Sri Lanka

From Tansen in the west of Nepal, Niraj spent 10 years working as a tour leader in Nepal, Tibet, Sri Lanka, Bhutan and India before joining his family in the UK. The desire to stay within the travel circle brought Niraj to Exodus. Turning from an outdoor tour guide to a 9 to 5 office man was certainly a 'culture shock', but working with colleagues who share the same passion for adventure travel makes him feel right at home - pictures of the Himalayas on his desk also help! Niraj looks after the operations for all our Indian and Sri Lankan adventures.

Questions about your trip

Pick your question

Any shopping tips for Sri Lanka?

Try the local markets – big and perfect for gift shopping. But be careful – you will get approached by friendly, English speaking people, who will tell you that they will get you a good deal if you go to a particular stall. Well, it’s not quite true, you will still get overcharged (and the friendly local will get his commission). I suggest to shop around and you will find some good deals yourself!

Charlotte Taylor - Customer Operations

What do I do about money and what are local costs like in Sri Lanka?

In main towns, it is possible to withdraw money from an ATM. It is also possible to exchange Sterling and US Dollars in local exchange offices. I would suggest to take some GBP in cash and change most of it (if not all) at the airport in Colombo (in the arrivals hall). It is absolutely safe to carry cash around with you but you can also leave your passport and excess cash in a safe in your hotel room. Both food and drink prices are reasonable. I was on AIL in September 2008 and I spent £250.00 for food, drinks, gift shopping and tips.

Gabriela Krizanova - Sales

Tips from staff who have been to Sri Lanka

ClothingWear whatever is comfortable, it will be very informal and you just need to dress for the weather. Longer sleeves or trousers are a better idea for evenings, when the mozzies come out, but I would also take along some bug spray to fend them off.Most of the time I was just in shorts, t-shirts, light tops, canvas trousers etc. Anything light really! It's really only in temples you need to cover up a bit more. I found I didn't use as much stuff as I thought, especially clothes, and spent a lot of the trips in a couple of pairs of shorts and t-shirts. Full on hiking boots aren't necessary, just solid trainers or walking shoes will suffice. It can be slippy in parts if it rains, but this is a unlikely to really affect choice of footwear. If you're visiting the Hill Club in Nuwara Eliya, it's really interesting to see and you don't need anything super formal, but trousers and a shirt are expected.

WeatherIt can get hot and sticky at times. We had a couple of afternoons of rain but nothing too serious. Sri Lanka is quite tropical so you can expect this at any time of year. Obviously, like here, you can have local conditions that will be hotter/ wetter/ colder than the average and when it does rain, it's generally a build up to the afternoon, big downpour and then dries up quickly.

TaxisIf you need to take a taxi from Colombo airport, there is a counter at the airport with official taxis (see link below). You pay at the counter, get a ticket, go to the rank outside and off you go. Because you have already paid, there is no haggling at the end. Sri Lanka is very safe, so you won't have any problems. http://www.airport.lk/getting-arround/taxi-rates.php

MoneyYou will have access to ATMs in most towns you pass through but cash is also very easy and safe to carry, which is what I did. I changed it, to start, at the airport, the office there is open 24 hours a day. The hotels also change money but I didn't use this, although some of the group did. I also topped up with my debit card towards the end to do some shopping, which is easy to do but probably a good idea to advise your bank in advance. You could also just use your card for all your spending money as well, I guess, but there is a danger if you lose your card or have any problems with it. It's very safe to carry cash, as long as you use the same common sense that you would at home.

LaundryI didn't get any done myself, but I'm sure a few places along the way will be able to help. I washed a few things out myself in the hotels and just dried them (quite quick to do). Somewhere like Kandy should be definitely possible as you stop there for a while and it's about halfway through the trip.

FoodYou can pretty get much everything from local food to pizza to other western foods. It is quite similar to South Indian food. You usually split your meals in the evening about half and half between hotels and eating out and, when you eat in the hotel, there is always choice of a buffet or a la carte. There are lots of vegetarian options but also plenty of chicken, beef, seafood etc.

Any other tips? I didn't find mozzies too bad, but did pick up a few bites along the way. Mornings and evenings are when you need to protect yourself, but some bug spray helps with this.

I listened to my iPod quite a lot while on the drives, and I think the only thing I took not on the list was a small travel pillow, as I get a stiff neck sometimes! But I just picked that up at the airport for less than a tenner I think.

Gabriela Krizanova - Sales

What kind of food should I expect around the Indian subcontinent?

There is a real mix available and you won't be disappointed! The local cuisine is predominantly vegetarian, with lots of rice. You can enjoy everything from traditional spicy curries to stalls selling tasty sweets and deserts and even right the way to western style grub, if it all gets a bit too much. Vegetarians and 'non-spicy' food people are easily catered for, and the leader will make sure a wide range of dishes are ordered for each meal.

Charlotte Taylor - Customer Operations

Sri Lanka articles

Staff member Gabriela Krizanova travelled out to Sri Lanka with Exodus and you can read her article here to get a personal viewpoint of the country

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